Emma’s
murder remains a stain on the reputation of all those who know the killers and have failed to have the guts to come forward to the police.
Bill at 18 on National Service

The
widow was attacked in her own bed in Moseley, ambushed with such ferocity that she suffered a fractured skull as well as a broken arm and
wrist. One of her fingers was partially severed and bruises to her palms suggested she tried to fend off the attackers.

Emma’s family bravely agreed to allow
police to issue a photograph of the great-grandmother, taken in hospital as she fought for life, in the hope that it might shock someone
into shopping the scumbags.

Two people were arrested in connection with the attack, which happened between April 30 and May 1. Both suspects were bailed.

Widow
Paula Castle, who lived alone, died on Tuesday last week after being robbed in an alleyway in west London. The two men who stole her handbag struck during daylight, so untroubled were they about being spotted or caught.

Bill Hopkins, his face severely bruised, displayed the trademark pluck of our older generation when he appeared at a police press conference to help cops with a public appeal last week.

“I will carry on as normal,” he vowed. “I won’t let anyone dictate to me what I should, or should not, do.”

Fighting talk. Good on you, Bill.

It
appears he was bludgeoned to the ground outside his home in Gooch Street, Highgate, by a robber, or robbers, who had seen him win £40 at a
local bookies in the Arcadian centre.

They stole the cash and a memorial card to the great-granddad’s late wife, Peggy.

The
attack happened at 8pm on November 10, a Saturday. One of Bill’s biggest regrets is that he had to be kept in hospital – he was treated for a broken jaw – and missed his usual appointment at the annual Remembrance Day service.

His daughter, Pat Kurila, branded those responsible as “the lowest of the low.”

I think she is being generous.

There
is no suggestion any of these three cowardly attacks, two of which ended in murder, are connected. Neither would I seek to portray the vermin who commit such crimes as anything other than a tiny minority, most likely on benefits as a lifestyle choice and involved with drugs.

But
what does concern me – indeed repels me – is the general lack of respect we show towards older people in our country. The only time we show compassion towards the frail and elderly is when we hear terrible stories like the ones outlined here.

Of
course, these are extreme cases. But attacks on pensioners are far from
uncommon and they are symptomatic of the disregard our selfish society shows towards old people.

The
smart-arsed Facebook generation readily dismisses the unfashionable elderly and, in doing so, forgets the importance of fortitude and forbearance – two values that would serve us well in the depths of recession. The ageing population, which is growing in size, represents a
pool of knowledge, talent and life experience that we abuse and denigrate at our peril.